Marine Dreams

Corner of the Eye

BY Peter SanfilippoPublished Feb 28, 2014

8
Where the fuzzy, garage rock aesthetic of Marine Dreams' self-titled debut called back to frontman Ian Kehoe's days in Attack in Black, follow-up Corner of the Eye takes a much more gentle approach that solidifies him as a songwriting force independent of his roots. Corner of the Eye adopts a style drenched in the shimmer of 12-string acoustics, poppy bass lines and three-part harmonies provided by You've Changed comrades Tamara Lindeman of folk outfit the Weather Station and the King of Mosey Daniel Romano.

Lindeman's delicate voice and Romano's nasal coos wrap around Kehoe's melodies like ivy hugging a wall, taking centrestage on the record. It's these harmonies, best displayed on tracks like "Damp Eyes," "Morning" and album closer "Scared of Burning Up" that give the record a deep sense of intimacy and a simple optimism that prevails even through the album's darker moments. Even when Kehoe's poetry reaches its most troubled, it manages to be hopeful and makes for a record that begs to be the soundtrack of a warm, sun-drenched spring afternoon.
(You've Changed)

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